In the market for fresh ink? Can’t blame you — with all the incredible tattoo ideas out there,from micro designs to cool patchwork tats, there’s a smorgasbord of body art inspo available. Whether you’re a first-timer or an ink enthusiast, it can be helpful to take a peek at a tattoo pain chart before you book an appointment.
The colorful graphic can be useful in highlighting certain areas of the body that can feel particularly painful during the tattooing process. Though tattoo pain charts can vary, for the most part, they consist of an illustration featuring both the front and the back of a body. Colors like blue, yellow, orange, and red are used to indicate different levels of pain (and there’s often a legend included, too, which will show you what each color means). Feel free to ask your tattoo parlor which pain chart they use; more than likely, they’ll have one.
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It’s important to note that while generally useful, tattoo pain charts aren’t a one-size-fits-all formula. Adam Suerte, tattoo artist and co-owner of Brooklyn Tattoo, tells Bustle that it’s wise to consider a few external factors as well, such as your pain tolerance, whether or not you had sufficient sleep the night before your tattoo appointment, and if you’re feeling unwell that day. “Even not being in a good mood can affect how one deals with the discomfort of getting tattooed,” he adds. ET, a tattoo artist at High Hopes Tattoo, adds that being hungover, dehydrated, or hungry might make getting a tattoo less enjoyable.
What’s more, if you go for an intricate tattoo that takes a long time on an “easy” part of the body, it can eventually become as painful as a quick tattoo on what’s considered a “painful” spot. “A session can feel like a 3 in the beginning, a long 5 in the middle, and you may creep up to an 8 towards the end,” says ET. “It really all depends.”
In assessing the above image ofa popular tattoo pain chart, Suerte and Shaugnessy Otsuji, tattoo artist and founder of Studio Sashiko, agree that it’s mostly accurate. “[It’s true] that the chest, sternum, joints, shins, and feet can all be painful to get tattooed,” Otsuji says. The pain is greater in those areas because there isn't a lot of matter separating the skin from the bone — in other words, they lack a “cushion” of muscle and fat —adds Suerte.
The Most Painful Tattoo Spots
ET and Diana Divina, tattoo artist at Fleur Noire Tattoo, agree that the most painful areas to get a tattoo are spots that have less muscle where your nerves are more exposed. These include bony areas such as the hands, feet, elbows, and ribs. “Extremities are also full of nerve endings that can lead to a more painful tattoo experience compared to places that have more muscle or fat to protect it,” explains ET.
Both Suerte and Otsuji tell Bustle that the ideal tattoo pain chart would feature more enlarged sections and greater detailing, especially in specific areas like the front inner thigh, the back of the knee, most of the stomach, smaller, bonier regions like the fingers, toes, and ankles, and the lower back. In terms of the latter, Suerte says it can be “extremely painful” to get a tattoo there. “Basically, the stencil is put on while the client is standing up, as that’s the way the tattoo will mostly be viewed. Then they’ll sit and bend forward to get a good stretch, and the stencil will enlarge to be 150 percent of the size of the original tattoo.” With a lower back tattoo, the artist is essentially tattooing an elongated version of the image so when the client stands up again, the image retains its original shape and size, he explains. “Tattooing the larger, stretched version of the image — as well as the skin being stretched thin —can be really painful.”
Nevertheless, it’s true that body parts that are commonly considered to be painful are often the most desirable areas to get inked, says Otsuji. “I think there’s definitely an element of shock value to consider when you receive a tattoo in a painful area such as your kneecap or your underarm,” she adds. “When others see tattoos on these parts, they can usually imagine what it might feel like to get tattooed in the same spot.” But painful parts can [also] be popular with people who get tattooed regularly simply because they’ve run out of space, says Suerte. “It’s all pretty relative.”
The Least Painful Tattoo Spots
By contrast, the least painful spots to get a tattoo are areas where you have more muscle and fat. ET says this includes places like your arms and thighs, and adds getting tiny linework or minimal tattoos will also be less painful than full-color tattoos (which require high levels of saturation and layering).
How To Reduce Tattoo Pain
If you’re still craving some fresh ink in a particularly sensitive area (like the lower back, which has seen a resurgence since the Y2K era), note that there are ways to minimize the pain.
ET says that if your artist allows it, you could use a tattoo numbing cream. (He does note that the skin can change consistency if you numb it, so be sure to ask your artist first.) Otsuju suggests utilizing a water-based topical anesthetic, like Zensa Numbing Cream, which is especially helpful during longer sessions.
But it’s really just a mental game. Your best bet is to make sure you’re prepared mentally and emotionally. “Be in a good head space the day of your appointment, and be in tune with how you are feeling,” says ET. “There will always be a bit of pain when getting a tattoo but your headspace is everything and determines the way you react to the pain.”
“There is always some discomfort with tattoos,” adds Divina. “Accepting that will allow you to get through the session with less anxiety.”
Regardless of where you decide to opt for a tattoo, a tattoo pain chart can be helpful in determining which parts of the body are generally the least or most prone to a tattoo needle. “[It’s] a fine way to explain to someone who hasn’t been tattooed before what to expect,” says Suerte, “but as they get tattooed more, they will realize there are other factors that will determine their comfort level.”
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